The Faded World
by EvieEvangelion
Summary: Post-trespasser, Solas/Lavellen. Using my inquisitor Ava Lavellen, DLC spoilers. Rough draft sort of, wanted to get the idea down and see what people thought of it, will be re-writing.


So this takes place 20 years after trespasser (give or take), in the world it took 4 years after trespasser for the veil to be destroyed, 5 years for the shit that happened to the world after this to calm down. This was all based around one little idea to do with Lavellen and Cole.

Using my Inquisitor – Ava Lavellen(Rogue/Archer)

* * *

The world was a very different place now; there was a calm-ness to it now, since the destruction of the veil, it was like a lazy summer day. Something about this calm made Ava uneasy; to her it felt like the calm before the storm, a storm that wouldn't come. The Inquisition had worked so hard to try and stop all this, but in the end it had been pointless, Solas destroyed the veil all the same, and the lives lost trying to stop him had been a waste.

There was no point in dwelling on it now though, done is done, they had fought to save the veil and failed it was that simple. Once the veil fell it was too late to save their world and all that was left to do was try and survive the chaos, in the end only Ava had, her only guess to why was the fade. Something had changed in the elves, with their connection to the fade restored the elves were born again, magic ran through them, magic few knew how to control. Ava believed that along with the return of magic, the Elves immortality had returned, it was the only way she could explain why so many elves had survived through everything, the only way she could explain her own survival.

Ava had spent so much time trying to come to terms with her feelings, her regret over the lost lives of her friends, and her lingering feelings for Solas. She has finally made up her mind, she wanted to know if he was happy, he got what he wanted, was it worth it?

Years of practice since she had reconnected with the fade, coupled with her stealth training had helped her to become an expert at hiding, at not being seen, and now was the time for her to use the skills. It was no secret to where Fen'Harel was, he had found himself a rather nice place to live, a castle that had been restored by the fade. It was near what had been the Tevinter Imperium had once been, and it was well defended. Ava had only one idea on how she would get in to see if Solas was happy, she didn't want him to know she was there, he believed her dead, and for the moment she felt that was best. No she just wanted to watch, to see.

So she stood before an Eluvian, the same one that Solas had used to leave her after the fighting with the Qunari. She swallowed hard as she stared at the glass, it was a long shot, but this mirror was so remote, she had to believe it would take her to his headquarters. Softly she whispered:

"Fen'Harel enansal" The mirror came to life, a ripple of light traveled across its surface and after a moment the glass settled to a light blue glow. _That was so easy…this can't be the one._ She thought to herself. _You're here now, no harm in looking!_ And with that thought she stepped through the mirror.

As she looked around she found herself in the crossroads, a section of the crossroad she had not seen before. _Maybe this is it!_ She thought with joy, though she didn't want to admit it to herself she was almost looking forward to seeing Solas, even if he wouldn't know she was there.

She followed the only path she could find, this area of the crossroads was barren and lonely, she hadn't seen another Eluvian yet, and the path was just simple rock in an open sky. Finally she saw a faint glow, she started to pick up her pace until she was running. The path ended at this new Eluvian, it was so ornate, it didn't look like any other she had seen.

"Must be it" She said, she ready herself, she didn't know what would be on the other side, she needed to be ready to find the shadows, to hide and find her way to were ever Solas was. She darted into the mirror, and found herself in a very small, very dark room. _What luck?_ She thought to herself. She backed up to the wall and took a moment to find herself.

She felt the fade around her, like something that hung around her, a mist almost. She closed her years and started to pull it in around her, forming shadows for her to hide in, that would stay with her. Once she felt she wouldn't be seen she moved to the only door. As she opened it and slipped out she looked to see that this room opened in to what seemed to be a cellar. _Only way to go is up._

She made her way unseen through the stronghold, there were far fewer people…elves here then she would have thought. It took her a great deal of time, but she found her way to what seemed to be a study. She moved to the desk in the middle of the room to look at the papers that laid about. As she started to look at them something caught her eye, it couldn't be…

On one…no more than that, there was the mark of the inquisition. Ava reached up to her neck and pulled off her necklace, one she had worn every day since the veil was destroyed. A pendant baring the mark of the inquisition, she wore it to remember, but why would Solas have this symbol in his study, after all these years. Where they old reports maybe? Before she could check thought she heard the door start to open. She jumped; having been so caught up in her own thoughts she had let her guard down. She darted back to the wall, as the door open.

It was Solas, who else would it be? She felt like she was frozen, she couldn't bring herself to move. She watched as her one time lover head to his desk. He seemed tired, something was missing she found herself staring trying to see what was different. When her started to move the papers on the desk she snapped back to herself. She needed to get out of her.

She said against the wall, praying that the shadows she had summoned where enough to keep her hidden from the eyes of Fen'Harel. She was lucky though, he seemed very focused on something at his desk. She made it to the door and out of the room, unknowingly leaving her necklace behind, on Solas's desk.

Ava ran back down to the cellar, to the hidden Eluvian, she was quickly through it and back in the crossroads. She left the shadows around her fade away and ran down the path, jumping through the Eluvian. She was panting when she finally stopped running, she didn't know why, but once she had started she had felt like she was running for her life.

She fell to the ground and made a little whimper of a noise. "What am I doing?" She asked herself. She didn't know what she had hoped to gain from seeing Solas again, and she didn't know what to do with herself now. She could tell she still had feelings for him, she missed him, and seeing him only made it worst. She was on her own, she couldn't ask anyone for help, Cassandra, Bull, Dorian, Sera…all gone, no one was left but her, her and Cole, _Cole!  
_

Ava jumped to her feet, Cole was still alive, and he could help! He would want to help! But how to find him? He had returned to the fade, but the fade was here now…. _There must be a way, some way to summon him…_

"Cole?" She asked the air, feeling silly but not knowing what else to do. "Cole I need help, help with a hurt." She said, it seemed pointless she was taking to air, but it was all she could think to do at the moment.

"Yes?"

Ava turned to the sound, and there he was, she couldn't believe it, but there was Cole. She smiled and laughed a little. "Where you just waiting for me to ask?"

"Maybe"

She sighed; it was still hard talking to Cole. She walked over to him, he looked the same as he always had, did he just look like this for her? So he was familiar? It didn't matter, she walked away from the Eluvian and to the spirit of compassion. She needed to move on, she needed to find a way to live in this new world, and there was only one want she could do that.

"Cole, I need you to make me forget…forget Solas." She told him. Cole looked a little shocked, she cast her eyes to the ground, she didn't want this, but she need it. "I need to forget him, I need you to fix this hurt. Please Cole."

"Vhenan?"

Her heart leapt, and her breath caught in her chest. _No, no not now…._ Ava looked at Cole, he was looking over her shoulder, back at the Eluvian, no at the person who had just come out. "I can't fix this hurt." He told her before disappearing. It was just her and Solas now; she closed her eyes and slowly turned around.

Solas was shocked, that was easy to see, Ava didn't know what to do.

"You aren't dead? But I thought."

"I wanted you to think" She told him, the look of pain that came over Solas's face broke her heart. She couldn't look at him. "I mean, it's what should have happened, it's what you were prepared to have happen."

"But it's not, what happened." He said as he started to walk towards her. She glanced at him, her heart was racing, she couldn't believe it, but she was happy, here he was, he knew that she was alive and there was no reason for them to fight. If she allowed herself to, she could have what she wanted. Solas reached out for her but stopped before he touched her.

"I won't disappear." She told him as she finally looked at him, he looked just as torn up as she felt.

"You might."

She laughed a little at this, and finally made up her mind. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in to a kiss.


End file.
